Wednesday, October 04, 2006

A's-Twins G2: Live-Comment

"The visiting team hits an inside-the-park home run to take a two-run lead with less than a third of the game to play, which would put your team in an 0-2 hole after 2 games AT HOME."

Original Post:The A's and Twins are underway. Feel free to live-blog "live-comment" away about it.

Meanwhile, the Rangers fired Buck Showalter, whose top-line career highlight will continue to be his cameo on "Seinfeld" when George got him to buy into switching to cotton uniforms for the Yankees.

You know, as we sit here following the A's-Twins game, in honor of Buck Showalter and his Seinfeld cameo, what's your favorite Seinfeld sports-related plotline, character, funny line, etc. ever? (Paul Katcher did a column for Page 3 about it. Here's the link.)

I'm going to have to think about that one, but throw your pick in the Comments section. Maybe it'll inspire my pick.

Another vote for the 2nd spitter episode, right here! That.....is One. Magic. Loogie.

It's amazing how everyone jumped ON the Seinfeld bandwagon when the show stopped being funny.....America was watching "Home Improvement" while I was into the early episodes....shows really about nothing, compared to later years where'd they make up bullshit plots that were just stupid. Elaine's hair is a good indicator if the show will be good or bad. That greasy curly stuff almost affected her character's personality....the "wall of hair" was a cuter, funnier Elaine.

haha I had to check on this quote because it makes me laugh everytime just thinking about it. How about when they all think George is dead - so Steinbrenner comes to George's house and he's sitting there and Jerry Stiller says:

"Why the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?! He had 30 home runs and over 100 RBIs last year. He's got a rocket for an arm. You don't know what the hell you're doin'!"

This quote is so funny on so many levels - hah Ken Phelps had a great bat.

The Seinfeld question is tough. It is to easy to go with "I'm Keith Hernandez." but Simmons has beat that line to death, I think he uses it in everyone of his columns.

My favorite sports angle in Seinfeld is "The Jimmy" episode. It is a classic on so many levels. The guy who talks in the 3rd person, the training shoes that increase your vertical and George being accused of stealing and trying to sell equipment.

The Danny Tartabul episode were George thinks the guy flipped him off is another classic and I think it is probably the best thing Tartabull did in a Yankee uniform.

Thanks for this topic Dan now all I am going to do is think about Seinfeld and post 50 different times.

I gotta go with the Soup Nazi. Forget that so many stupid people have said that line and made it outplayed for a second. Then remember when you first saw that episode. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen.

Buhner conversation - top notch. The signed card episode is great all the way through. Not just the conversation with Kramer and the kid, plus Paul O'Neil, but the guy who thinks George is intentionally screwing him over with signing the card.

The calzone episode is classic too. Kramer cooking his clothes, the change and when he yells in gibberish at the Pizza guy, plus Steinbrenner, "Costanza is in the building and he's not in this office . Costanza I'll get you!"

The card signing is absolutely top notch - the sick kid in the hospital and Kramer talking and Kramer is like "after Paul O'Neil hits those two home runs you know what I need you to do?"

"to get out of this bed and walk again?"

Kramer: "Yeah that'd be nice, but I really just need that card"

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The more I think about my choice of the Jay Buhner exchange the more I think the response by Steinbrenner is an even funnier line "My people loved Ken Phelps' bat, they kept telling me Ken Phelps, Ken Phelps."

That line kills me - I almost wish I had named my blog Ken Phelps, Ken Phelps instead of Free Billy Volek.

Almost forgot...Kramer bringing the old school mentality to baseball...

Kramer: "Well, Joe Pepitone or not, I own the inside of that plate! So I throw him one inside, you know, a little chin music right on his pants, cause I gotta intimidate, you know, when I'm on the mound. Well, the next pitch, he's right back on the same place, so... I had to plunk him."

Maybe I'm just making this up, but I seem to recall an episode where Kramer sits next to Spike Lee at a Knicks game and throws a hot dog at Reggie Miller? If I'm not making that up subconsciously, that was funny.

Matt - nope that definately happened. They don't show it but it's one of those classic Kramer stories. I love that he ends it with feeling sorry for Reggie about the trouble so after they all get kicked out of the game the three of them go to Scores.

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Way for Ken Macha to pull a Grady Little and breath some life into the Metrodome. When you gt 5 quality innings out of Esteban Loiza just take it, smile and get him the f out of the game.

A couple Seinfeld "sports" moments stand out to me. First, I loved when George ran over Bette Middler at home plate in a softball game. The episode had the whole Tanya Harding theme as well. My favorite one is "The Race" when Jerry races his old high school nemesis to save Lois. The whole race scene with the gym teacher, fans and superman music still cracks me up.

The Boss: George pass that over this way. Hmmm, that's good. Ok, meeting adjourned, Costanza, go get me two of these Calzones. I can't think until on an empty stomach.

The Boss: George let me tell you something. When I find something I like I stick with it. From 1973 to 1982 I ate the exact same lunch everyday, turkey chili in a bowl made out of bread. Bread bowl George! You'd eat the chili then you'd eat the bowl. Nothing more satisfying than looking down after lunch and seeing just a table.

"People should plunk down two thousand dollars to live like him for a week: Do nothing, fall ass-backwards into money, mooch food off your neighbors, and have sex without dating! That's a fantasy camp!"

If you didn't know Will Leitch over at deadspin.com is doing running commentary for those of you stuck at work/school to follow the game. This is from his commentary because I'm too lazy on my own:-----------Holy crap: Torii Hunter just did something incredibly, diabolically stupid. Kotsay loops one to center field, and Hunter tries to dive and grab it. He misses it, it goes to the wall and Kotsay comes all the way home with an inside-the-parker. And that, friends, was as bad a postseason mistake as you'll see someone make. You'll see it about a million times in the next 24 hours.

Just in case there are some Twins fans out there - I'm a Red Sox fan and I know first hand, being down 2-0 to the A's in the first round of the baseball playoffs is NOT A PROBLEM. So take a deep breath and relax.

Buck Showalter has done nothing but keep the Rangers at least moderately competitive with zero pitching and a roster full of young players for the last five years. They were in the AL West race (after dealing their best player for a bag of balls...) for the first 2/3 of this year before finally collapsing. Maybe the Rangers wanted to make a push for one of the other available managers. Maybe they think that they can follow in the footsteps of the Yankees and Diamondbacks an win the World Series immediately after parting ways with Buck. The move just doesn't make much sense on it's face. Maybe I'm missing something. Of course, these are the things that happen when you blog on a PDA cell phone from a moving train.

I'm partial to the Hideki Irabu comment. I hear the name and I hear it in Frank's voice.

Other non-mentioned sports moments -- Kramer swimming in the East River, Jean-Paul the marathon guy, Milosh & his suckiness at tennis, and has anyone mentioned Kramer's attempt to prepare for the Senior PGA Tour?

How about Kramer hitting golf balls into the ocean and then the story coming full circle when George pulls the obstruction from the "great fish" which is a golf ball, the only decent one that Kramer had hit while he was out there.

It was a small line, but it seemed so perfect. Whenever George was visiting Susan's grave, and he was left alone by Susan's parents/Jerry. He has no idea what to say to her. So all he says is..."so we swept Baltimre....4 games....IN Baltimore..."

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.